Tumbler dryers



July 9, 1968 A. H. PETTERSON TUMBLER DRYERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May18, 1966 July 9, 1968 A. H.-PETTERSON TUMBLER DRYERS 4 SheetsSheet 5Filed May 18, 1966 Fig.3

July 9, 1968 A. H. PETTERSON TUMBLER DRYERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May18. 1966 United States Patent TUMBLER DRYERS Adolf Helmer Petterson,Skarsgatan 70, Goteborg, Sweden Filed May 18, 1966, Ser. No. 551,505Claims priority, application Sweden, May 21, 1965,

4 Claims. (Cl. 34-134) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tumbler dryer inwhich a rotatable drum has internal vanes supplied with compressed airwhich is discharged from the vanes into the drum with an axial velocitycomponent to impart axial transport movement to the laundry in the drum.

The present invention relates to improvements in tumbler dryers with ahorizontal rotatable drum, especially for drying laundry. Such drum isopen at both ends and is provided with transport vanes extending in theaxial direction of the drum to circulate the laundry during the rotationof the drum. The tumbler dryer has means for supplying compressed airthereto.

It is an object of the present invention to prevent the laundry frombecoming inter-twisted and to achieve a reliable transport of theclothing through the drum in a more or less spread-out state, so thatthe drying air has the opportunity of acting on large tree surfaces ofthe laundry.

The invention is substantially characterized in that the vanes of thedrum are provided with exhaust nozzles for jets of compressed airdirected towards the interior of the drum with a velocity component inthe axial direction of the drum, the said nozzles being fed withcompressed air through inlet apertures in the vanes which are suppliedwith periodic bursts of compressed air, when the vanes pass in the upperpart of the path of rotation of the drum.

A selected embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings by way of example.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an end view of the tumbler dryer as seen towards the intakeopening;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the tumbler dryer;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4' is a cross section through a conveyor vane, and

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section through one end of the conveyor vane.

The tumbler dryer comprises a frame 1, in which are mounted rollers 2and 3 on either side of a drum 6 for support thereof. The rollers 2 and3 are interconnected by means of a shaft 4 and driven by means of amotor 5. The drum 6 is rotatably mounted on the rollers 2, 3. In FIG. 1the intake opening 7 of the drum is shown. At the opposite end of thedrum is an outlet opening 8 which may have the same area as the crosssectional area of the drum. At the intake opening, which is surroundedby an annular flange 9, are openings 10 distributed about the peripheryof the drum. The openings 10 are in communication with the interior ofconveyor vanes 11 which entrain the laundry and transport it in a rotarymotion. The vanes have solid walls and form a chamber communicating withthe interior of the drums through nozzles or openings 12. The openingsor nozzles 12 are distributed along the inner edge of the couveyorvanes. In addition, each vane is provided with an exhaust nozzle 13 atits rear part as seen in the transport direction of the laundry, thenozzle 13 having an exhaust direction in parallel with the longitudinalaxis of the drum.

In order to supply compressed air to the vanes, a chamber 14 is arrangedat the annular flange 9 and is provided with a port 15, the edges ofwhich bear on or are located at a small distance from the exterior faceof the flange. The chamber is connected via a pipe 16 to a pressure fan(not shown). The port 15 of the chamber communicates with the apertures10 located in an upper quadrant of the drum. The compressed air in thevanes exhausts through the openings 12 obliquely inwards into the drumwith a velocity component in the outlet direction, the clothing thusbeing carried by the air flow in the interior of the drum.

In a practical embodiment of the tumbler dryer according to theinvention, the dryer is charged for example, with kilos of sheets directfrom a centrifuge. The sheets are intermingled and knotted together andwill be separated by the tumbler, which due to its constructionpractically delivers one sheet at the time at the outlet opening. Theheavier, knotted sheets will remain at the intake end, and only releasedand separated sheets will be entrained by the air flow and conneyed tothe outlet opening. The running time for a charge can be determined byvarying the supplied amount of compressed air which is relatively large,so that strong air streams will be generated in the interior of thedrum, which also brings about an increased drying eflect.

Within the scope of the invention the arrangement of the nozzles may bevaried and may be supplied with hot air, warm air or air at roomtemperature, as may be desired.

What is claimed is:

1. A tumbler dryer comprising a drum which is supported for rotationabout a horizontal axis, said drum having opposite ends in which arerespectively provided an inlet opening for laundry to be dried and anoutlet opening for the removal of dried laundry, axially mounted vaneson the interior of said drum for circulating the laundry in the drumduring rotation of the drum, and means for supplying compressed air tothe vanes when the latter are in an upper part of the path of rotationof the drum, said vanes having openings facing inwardly into the drumfor the discharge of compressed air thereinto with a velocity componentextending in the axial direction of the drum from the inlet openingtowards the outlet opening.

2. A dryer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said vanes have inlets for thecompressed air in the region of the end of the drum in which the laundryinlet is provided, said means which supplies compressed air to the vanesbeing provided with a stationary outlet for compressed air whichperiodically communicates with the air inlets of the vanes, duringrotation of the drum to supply short bursts of compressed air to thevanes.

3. A dryer as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for the supply ofcompressed air to the vanes comprises a stationary pressurized chambersupported at said end of the drum in which the laundry inlet isprovided, said 3,391,471 V a r 4 outlet for compressed air beingprovided in said cham- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4. A dryeras claimed in claim 1, wherein each vane is A provided with an exhaustnozzle in the region of the end 11/1948 Jorgenscn of the drum in whichthe laundry outlet is provided, the 5 2843945 7/1958 h 34 133 XR exhaustnozzle extending axially to impart an axial move- 3,316,353 5/1967 stnkeXR merit to the laundry conveyed by the vanes to discharge the laundrythrough said outlet therefor when the vanes FREDERICK MATTESON Pnmm'yExammer' are supplied with compressed air. H. B RAMEY, AssistantExaminer.

